The Ignition of Souls
by Janderius
Summary: Set shortly after the Tenrou Island story arc, Master Makarov instigates a guild-wide event in which all Fairy Tail wizards must complete jobs in randomly selected pairs. When Natsu is paired up with Mirajane, the two get the chance to reconnect and spend some time alone together. Eventually, the sweet dynamic of their longstanding friendship develops into something much stronger.
1. The Master's Event

_**A/N: This story is intended primarily for developing a relationship which doesn't get the screen time that I think it deserves. The romance will come later. I personally believe that Natsu and Mirajane have every reason to be incredibly close friends, if not more. Throughout the course of the story, my goal is to prove to you that this pairing makes perfect sense. My biggest concern at this point is not to ram them together just for some immediate lemons, but to make sure that I write them in a way that is convincing and believable, staying true to the characters we all know.**_

_**Blanket disclaimer, I do not claim to own Fairy Tail or its characters. Please support the official release.**_

* * *

Natsu woke up the same way he usually did, by rolling out of his hammock and landing on the hard wood floor with a loud yelp. As always, he'd been snoring loudly with his mouth open and drool all over his chin.

With a sleepy groan, the pink haired young man pushed himself up off the floor and rubbed the back of his head. In moments, his eyes looked wide and alert.

"Morning, Happy!" Natsu spoke up excitedly, displaying his apparently boundless reserves of energy.

Happy had been curled up on his shoulder, and was sent flying by the flailing jump-start to the day. The projectile exceed crashed into a pile of Natsu's unwashed laundry, providing a soft yet odiferous landing for him.

"Morning, Natsu..." Poor Happy replied, while peeling a particularly sweaty smelling pair of white pants off of his head.

Natsu started stretching various arm muscles after standing up. "Oh hey! Today's the day of that thing!"

Happy squinted across the room at Natsu, either from sleepiness or confusion.

"You know, the thing!" The dragonslayer continued, "The thing that Gramps said was so important that we couldn't take any overnight jobs before today!"

After letting out a big yawn, Happy just nodded and smacked his lips a few times. Natsu, on the other hand, started getting ready with purpose, weaving his way across the messy floor in order to get ready for the day. "Oh, we should probably go wake up Lucy, too!"

"Aye sir..." Happy croaked quietly.

However, when they ultimately arrived at Lucy's apartment, they found that she had already made her bed and left.

* * *

The morning sun bathed the Fairy Tail guild hall in a very welcoming and soothing light. The mood inside the building was pretty relaxed and quiet, too. It seemed suspiciously empty though, considering how the master had supposedly arranged a special event to take place that day.

Kinana remained behind the bar, keeping herself busy while Wakaba and Macao sat on the stools and kept her company. Pantherlily was at the bar too, sitting on the counter in his smaller form, with his arms folded and head bowed in meditation.  
At one of the nearby tables, Gray leaned back in his chair, chatting idly with Mirajane and Lisanna. The ice wielder had managed to keep his clothes on, so far. Mira's legs were crossed, and her arms were folded, but not in an agitated or annoyed looking way. She retained the same aloof, sweet smile that she usually wore, as she listened intently to whatever Gray was talking to her about. Lisanna looked pretty attentive as well, with her hands folded politely in her lap.

Natsu interrupted the comfortable scene by loudly kicking the door open. Everyone turned to greet him, and Happy quickly flew off to sit in Lisanna's lap. The fire-breather then stood in the doorway after his boisterous entrance and scratched his head, confused by how quiet the place was.

"Huh... wha? WHERE THE HECK IS EVERYBODY!?" He stomped over to Gray's table, fuming. "We've got that big important thing today!"

Gray looked over with teeth grit in annoyance. "Would you keep it down, flame brain? Everybody already left!"

Natsu pressed his forehead up against Gray's, bearing his teeth angrily "ALREADY LEFT!?"

Gray didn't back down, "It means they WERE here, and now they AREN'T here, need me to explain it more clearly?"

Natsu growled, steam practically coming out of his ears at this point. "HEY! I don't need any of your sass today, you frosty bastard! Just... WHERE DID THEY GO?!"

At that moment, both boys felt something strong grab the backs of their necks, before both of their foreheads were forcibly slammed into the surface of the table, leaving them temporarily dazed.

"Enough. Both of you." Erza dusted her hands off with a smug smirk at her handiwork.

Lisanna squeaked at the abrupt end of all the yelling, and Mira giggled quietly, covering her mouth with her hand.

While Lisanna gingerly lifted Gray's face up to check if he was still breathing, Natsu quickly recovered and directed his angry confusion at his attacker, "NOT COOL, ERZA, I JUST WANTED TO KNOW WH-..."

"Natsu..." Mirajane's voice cut him off, and she slid an envelope across the table to him.

Natsu went quiet and rubbed his sore forehead with a sigh, before picking up the envelope. He turned it over between his fingers, to see that it was addressed to him, written in Master Makarov's handwriting. "What's this?"

"Just read it, Natsu!" Lisanna piped up in response, smiling wide. She then went back to gently shaking Erza's other victim. "Graaaay..."

While Gray slowly returned to full consciousness. Erza tried to soothe him with an apologetic hand on his shoulder. Natsu opened the envelope and read the message contained inside.

_"Attention all my beloved children of Fairy Tail,_

_I have devised an exercise to help demonstrate the strength of our family bond, and help kick-start our guild's full return to its former glory. This venture should also improve our overall synergy, as well as each individual wizard's ability to adapt and work in teams._

_Today, each active member of the Fairy Tail guild has been randomly assigned a parter, with which they are obligated to complete at least one job. I've made a few adjustments to make sure that each pairing contains two wizards who don't normally work together. Each team has had appropriate jobs assigned to them, to make sure the challenge is suitable for the wizards involved._

_Prove to me that you are able to act with maturity and rise to this challenge. Get to know your partner better, and have fun out there."_

Further down the page, there was a personalized message for Natsu.

_"Natsu, your partner for today's exercise will be Mirajane. While you're both some of the strongest wizards in Fairy Tail, and I know you get along well, I don't think I've ever known you two to really team up with each other before. This will be Mira's first job since she's decided to go back to taking regular wizard work again, so I want you to make sure it goes well for her. She will be able to tell you more about the job itself, since I gave her the information. I'm sure you two will take great care of each other._

_Make me proud,_  
_-Master Makarov"_

When he neared the bottom of the page, Natsu silently mouthed the name "Mirajane..." with surprise. Once he had finished reading, he lowered the page to see that Mira was smiling at him and awaiting his response. "So, everybody else already got their assignments and left?"

"Mmhmm!" Lisanna spoke up again to answer the question.

Natsu glanced down at the letter again, before looking back at Mirajane's hopeful expression. "And I'm with you today, Mira?" His big trademark smile started to spread across his face, "That's pretty cool, actually! This should be fun!"

Mirajane nodded her head eagerly in agreement, "I think so too! When the master mentioned the idea, I thought it sounded so fun that I decided to join in!"

Natsu chuckled warmly, the anger and pain in his face quickly forgotten as he looked to the others. "So who did you guys get?"

"I got Erza!" Lisanna answered excitedly. Erza gave the thumbs up, and smiled with an approving nod.

Gray was back to normal and relatively calm at this point, though he kept staring at Erza with a miffed expression.

You could practically see the gears turning in Natsu's head as he tried to fully process this new situation. "So... what about Lucy? Who did she get paired with?"

"She was put with Bisca, I think." Gray seethed, after making a chunk of ice in his hand to put on his swollen forehead.

Natsu looked a little concerned about Lucy's safety at first, before his expression brightened back up again, "Well, I'm sure she can handle herself just fine out there. She's become really good with all those spirits of hers!"

Erza understood Natsu's slight trepidation, and leaned down to ruffle his pink hair a little bit. "You know she's an amazing wizard, Natsu. Bisca's no slouch either. The two of them can function just fine without you there." She smirked.

"Yea yea..." He answered, before looking over at Happy. "Well, what about my little buddy? Does Happy get to come with me?" Lisanna had her arms folded across the front of the blue cat's stomach, absently hugging him close. Happy looked pretty content where he was, his eyes glazing over from the comfort.

Pantherlily was the one who spoke up though, after hopping down from his perch and marching over to group's the table. "He's with me, actually."

Natsu blinked in surprise, "You two are together? But I thought the master was trying to create unusual groups?"

"Well, it's true that we are both exceeds, but the master had a specific job in mind for us. One where our... smaller size and flight abilities will be necessary." Pantherlily replied with a stoic nod. "Besides, we don't normally work together without Carla there. It'll be... an interesting bonding experience." The black exceed gave a big warm grin, baring his sharp teeth.

"Works for me!" Happy wriggled away from Lisanna's grasp to hop down and stand beside Lily. "So... who did Carla end up with?" Similar to Natsu, Happy tried to conceal his possessive concerns about her.

"She's helping the master look after little Asuka, since Bisca and Alzack both agreed to participate." Lisanna chimed in, helpfully.

"And what about you?" Natsu asked Gray through grit teeth, not wanting to give him any eye contact.

"He's with Cana! I think it's a pretty good match, if you ask me!" Mirajane added, cheerfully.

"If she ever gets here." Gray retorted, glancing over at the door with annoyance.

"Don't worry, she'll stagger her way here eventually." Erza added with another smirk. She certainly seemed to be in good spirits today. "Lisanna, are you ready to head out?" She asked with a sincere, fond smile.

"Sure am!" Lisanna replied, before quickly getting up from the table and scurrying to Erza's side. "Good luck, everyone!" The two departed after many waves and exchanged goodbyes. Happy and Pantherlily left as well, flying through the open door before it had a chance to close behind the two young women.

Natsu looked down at the letter one more time, before giving Mirajane a big smile. "This is gonna be great! I feel pretty lucky, I bet everyone wanted to get you, Mira!"

Mirajane just gave her bright, trademark smile and tilted her head at the compliment, "That's sweet of you to say, Natsu, but I'm sure just as many wanted to fight alongside the world famous Salamander!" She raised her eyebrows and poked the side of Natsu's arm in jest.

Gray just snorted at that sentiment.

Natsu ignored him and carried on. "Now that Lisanna's back, we can talk about more pleasant things for a change too!"

This statement made Miranane glance down for a moment, before flicking some hair out of her face and managing a poised smile. "Yea..." she continued after a short pause. "We sure will."

Natsu then pushed himself away from the table and stood up. "So tell me about this job! Where are we headed?"

"It's a real doozy," Mira stated before sliding the sheet from the job board across the table to him. "Not quite S-Class, but I think it's probably the most difficult one the Master could find."

Natsu's eyes widened as he scanned the contents of the page, "Two bounties for 3 million jewel each? Holy crap!"

"It's a pair of thieves and assassins who have been causing all sorts of trouble near Clover Town, apparently." Mirajane explained, looking at the sheet with a more serious tone. "Both are wizards, rumored to be from one of the dark guilds, though which one is anyone's guess at this point."

"Sounds perfect! I bet these guys aren't as tough as they're cracked up to be! I can't WAIT to beat them!" Natsu grinned wide and pounded his fists together, making flames flicker around his wrists. "Oh yea! I'M FIRED UP NOW!"

Gray rolled his eyes, keeping his arms folded while Mirajane giggled and cheered supportively. After a moment she stood up and picked up a large backpack that had been sitting beside her chair. "Ready to head out then?"

Natsu grinned, shouldering his own backpack. "I think so! Got everything you need?"

"Mmhmm!" She nodded with another bright smile.

After sparing a glance back at the bar, Natsu called out to Wakaba and Macao, "What about you two?"

"Somebody has to hold down the fort while all of you are out having fun!" Macao replied, before turning back to his coffee. Wakaba just turned to give a nod, and seemed too interested in his cigarette to add anything else.

"Uh-huh." Natsu replied with a chuckle, unconvinced that the real reason wasn't just fear or laziness.

"C'mon!" Mira interjected excitedly, tugging at Natsu's elbow before heading for the door.

Natsu beamed his wide toothy smile before jogging over to reach the door first, so that he could open and hold it for her.

"Such an adorable little gentleman." Mira winked as she walked through and made it into the pleasant, late morning sun.

Gray shook his head again and closed his eyes as he stayed in his chair to wait for Cana. He could hear the two continuing to chat outside the building as they walked away, the sounds getting fainter and fainter.

"LITTLE?!" Natsu yelled.

"You heard me!" Mira giggled.

"Are you gonna go back to wearing black and being mean too?"

"Maybe... if you don't behave yourself, I just might." Mirajane added with a musical sounding laugh. There was another pause, before she added; "Twerp," and gave the young dragonslayer another wink.


	2. Travel

"I should have known..." Natsu grumbled as he glared out of the train window at the few people still milling around on the platform. "Why can't these jobs ever be located within walking distance..." he sighed. He had his elbow propped up on the seat's arm rest, and his cheek smushed against his palm. The poor dragonslayer had a few more minutes before the train would start moving.

"But it would take us weeks to walk to Clover Town, silly." Mirajane pointed out, shaking her head fondly. "As much as I enjoy your company, Natsu, if we spent all that time walking, our targets would have plenty of time to move on to a totally different region!"

The two of them were sitting across from each other in a fairly quiet train car, with a booth all to themselves. Natsu spared a glance at Mira and noticed what she was wearing for the first time.

She had opted for something a little bit more practical than her elegant pink and bergundy dress, while still retaining the stylish and pretty look that she had become known for. She wore a tight tank top in the same colors as the dress she was normally seen in. The fabric was thin and form fitting, a soft cotton material that stretched in a flattering way around her curves. The neckline area had a tasteful, pink lace trim and the hem of the tank top didn't quite make it all the way down, often exposing a little bit of her toned midriff.

Below that was a pair of white, low waisted skinny jeans that hung off her hips in a flirtacious way. She wore some stylish boots on her feet, though they were mostly covered by the pants legs that weren't tucked in at the bottom.

In addition to her usual girly bracelets, she also took a page out of Cana's book, and had a pair of silver bands around her biceps. To top it all off, she wore a pretty silver necklace with a blue gemstone pendant that matched her eyes.

By contrast, Natsu just had on same outfit he always wears. He did have his new jacket that covered everything except one arm though, at least.

Natsu sighed again, "Couldn't you just do your takeover spell and fly us there?"

Mira shook her head, "That form requires tons of my magic energy, I wouldn't be able to get us very far, and I'd be exhausted by the end of it." She then started rummaging in one of her backpack pockets for something. "Besides, if we don't take the train, I won't have a chance to test out my little present for you."

Natsu turned his head to look at her, eyes widening slightly "You got me a present?"

Mira giggled as her fingers finally wrapped around what she was looking for. She pulled out a small bag full of what looked like hard candies. "Calm down Natsu, it's nothing too generous." She then picked one out of the bag and reached across to place it in Natsu's outstretched hand.

"Candy? Oh gee, thanks, I'm sure It'll taste great when I end up throwing it back up again in a few minutes." He rolled his eyes, with a huff.

Mira bit her lip and gave him a firm but, playful kick in the shin. "It's supposed to help with motion sickness, smartypants!"

Natsu's eyes widened, he was so surprised by the idea that he didn't even react to Mira's kick. "Really? Like Wendy's Troia spell?" He eagerly popped the lozenge in his mouth, but made a face as soon as he registered how awful it tasted.

Mirajane's eyes widened in concern, "What's wrong?"

Natsu stuck his tongue out immediately, balancing the 'candy' on said tongue to show her. "This thing tastes like a wet fart in solid form!" He loudly proclaimed after closing his mouth again.

"Natsu!" Mira scolded assertively. "You take your medicine like a good boy and stop complaining!"

Natsu huffed and crossed his arms, before looking out the window again. He did as he was told, quietly sucking on the lozenge with a very unhappy look on his face. "Thank you, Mira," he mumbled bitterly.

"That's better." Mirajane added, crossing her legs again with a satisfied smirk slowly spreading across her lips.

At that moment, the train slowly started moving. Natsu closed his eyes in apprehension and Mirajane looked at him, eager to see if her 'medicine,' had any effect. It didn't take very long for him to lean his head against the window and start to pale.

"Oh no, it didn't work?" she frowned.

"It's... it's helping a little bit..." Natsu replied breathlessly. "I don't feel like dying as much as usual... at least..."

This made Mirajane's big cheerful smile return, "Well that's something! Does that mean you'll actually be able to talk and keep me company?" Another short laugh escaped her.

"Yea... maybe..." Natsu had beads of perspiration on his forehead at this point, but had opened his eyes with a look of determination. He could do this, he could hold it together.

Mirajane gave him a quick glance before she reached back into the main pocket of her backpack and pulled out her folded up jacket. As the train started to approach its top speed, she stood up and moved to sit beside Natsu, holding the soft jacket in her lap. "Alright, come on..." She cooed quietly, patting the makeshift pillow.

The sick dragonslayer rolled his eyes over to her before lifting his head off the glass. With a WHUMP, his upper body teetered over towards Mira, and his head landed comfortably on the jacket in her lap. "This is Erza's thing..." Natsu quietly muttered.

"I know it is." Mirajane answered, and started gently raking her fingertips through his pink hair. "She and I have been collaborating on how to look out for you for years..."

"Really?" Natsu was able to keep his eyes open and stay relatively composed at this point, thanks to whatever wonderful chemicals were in that 'candy.' All the attention certainly didn't seem to be hurting, either. His eyes were half-lidded, comfortably, and the rest of his body seemed to relax. "She's great... the guild is really lucky to have you two to care and look after its members so thoughtfully."

"Thank you, Natsu."

"I'm really glad that you stopped being so scary, too..."

Mirajane flicked his ear in response, a devious grin on her face. "You don't think the Satan Soul takeover is scary?"

Natsu's eyes widened and he paused in thought, considering her response. "Ok yea. You can still be pretty scary, but I'm just glad the real Mira became so sweet."

"Aww... Natsu, are you trying to butter me up for something?"

"No! I'm just sayin'! It's the truth! We don't get much time to talk anymore, either..."

Mirajane's voice softened, and she was glad that Natsu wasn't looking up to see the slight blush that had started to form on her cheeks. "You know... I love Elfman and Lisanna more dearly than I could ever describe... but besides them, you and Erza are my closest friends... you in particular, after everything we've all been through... you're practically family."

Natsu smiled softly and closed his eyes, letting Mirajane continue.

"We all had a pretty difficult time when we found each other at Fairy Tail... those years were difficult for everyone." She paused, taking a moment to collect her thoughts. "All of us joined the guild feeling completely alone in this world, at a total loss for what to do with ourselves..." She hesitated again, sighing. "I suppose what I'm saying is... I really do regret how terribly I treated Erza... and how mean I was to you, just for being friends with her..."

Natsu's voice remained calm and level, adopting that caring, protective tone that he sometimes used. "I'm sorry I teased you about it earlier... you really shouldn't beat yourself up over it, Mira. It's like you said, we were all having a really tough time adjusting during those years." He sighed, "You guys had just lost your parents... I had just lost Igneel... Erza had just got out of that nightmare at the Tower of Heaven... Gray had lost Ur, and felt responsible for what happened to her... Cana had just lost her mother, and was apparently struggling with telling Gildarts that he was her father..."

Mirajane sniffled just a little bit, "Yea..."

Natsu continued, frowning at the sound she'd made. "Besides, we were all pretty terrible kids, anyway!"

This made Mirajane giggle a little bit, pushing back the wall of emotion that was starting to weigh on her. "Little balls of hate."

"I mean it! Even Erza was obnoxious with all her bossiness and know-it-all attitude."  
Natsu turned his head and opened his eyes to look up at her, seeing the blush and the glossiness in her eyes. "Oh no... now I've done it... I'm sorry!" He started trying to sit up, but Mira pushed him back down again, assertively.

Mirajane sniffed a little bit once more, but otherwise held it together. "No, you're fine, I'm good." She managed to smile down at him, keeping her palm pressed against his chest. She wouldn't be breaking into full on tears anytime soon.

Natsu turned his head back over to the side, allowing her to return to gently running her nails along his scalp in slow circles. "I'm just glad that... despite all the sadness you've had to go through in your life... you still eventually let your walls down so that everyone could see what a great person you really are."

His last comment was too much for her, and Mirajane just started laughing softly. "Ok Natsu, you're being very sweet right now, but cut it out already! I can't take anymore..." She giggled a little bit more, looking away, before continuing. "Why don't you tell me more about your fights on Tenroujima? I want to hear the full story."

The dragonslayer glanced up at her with a smirk, and noticed that her face had become even more red. "Alright, fine. But afterwards, I wanna hear more about yours, too! Deal?"

"Deal."


	3. Planning

_**A/N: Ask and you will recieve! Thank you for the kind reviews, here's another chapter for you!**_

_**I'm amazed at how much traffic this story has managed to get in one day! I've done roleplay related writing for years, and until now I've always had to bend my friend's ears to read my work. I've really enjoyed writing this story so far, and I definitely feel encouraged to keep it up. Please keep the reviews coming!**_

_**Also, I feel compelled to mention that I paired Cana and Gray up in the first chapter because I might eventually write another story featuring that pairing, taking place simultaneously with this one. However, this story will continue to focus on just Natsu and Mirajane.**_

**_I created the two bounty characters, but everything else belongs to Fairy Tail's copyright holders._**

* * *

The sun had already started to set by the time the train arrived in Clover Town.

"SWEET RELIEF!" Natsu cried, falling to his hands and knees as soon as his feet touched the station platform.

Mirajane walked past him, making sure that she moved out of the way and wasn't blocking the exit for any of the other passengers. With an amused smirk, she simply shook her head and waited for Natsu to regain his composure. "Are you done?" She put her hands on her hips and shifted her weight to one foot.

After a few more seconds, Natsu was up on his feet again, dusting off the front of his knees. "I'm alright! I'm good!"

She giggled, before tucking her thumbs beneath her backpack straps and leading the way out of the train station. "Then let's go! We've got work to do~!"

Natsu pumped his arms and made long strides as he marched with purpose to catch up with her. "Where are we even going? We have no clue where those two posers are!"

Mirajane turned her head to give him a patronizing, incredulous look. "To the Rune Knight's Garrison here in Clover Town, of course!"

Natsu popped the side of his head with the heel of his palm, "Oh... right. They posted the bounty, didn't they? So that means..."

"... that they probably have the most information available to help us find them!" Mirajane finished his statement. "Honestly, Natsu, you aren't new to this whole 'job' thing, are you?" She looked over again, giving him a big grin.

"No..." was all Natsu could think of, as he folded his arms and glanced away, looking put out.

Mirajane sighed facetiously before continuing to tease him, "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. It's the kind of sloppy behavior that I should have come to expect from a member of Team Erza."

"HEY!" he started to answer, raising a finger to help get his point across. "It's called Team Natsu, and we happen to be Fairy Tail's strongest team!"

They rounded a corner and headed out of the station, into the main street.

"Team Natsu!? Really? Since when have you been capable of leadership?"

"It's not about leadership, it's about being the most awesome!"

This just made Mirajane burst into a fit of musical sounding laughter, "Nobody really calls it Team Natsu, do they?"

Natsu went quiet, just staring forward as he continued to walk. "You sure are full of jokes today..."

"What can I say? I'm out on a regular guild adventure again, with one of my favorite people! I'm excited!" She turned to give Natsu another bright smile, making all of his salt and annoyed feelings melt away.

Natsu tucked his hands behind his head, smiling as he kept moving.

After a pause, Mirajane spoke up again, changing the subject. "That sure was a long train ride. We're not going to have much time to search for them today..."

"Well, let's see what the Captain has to say, and work from there. Stumbling around the unfamiliar forest in the dark probably isn't the best idea, but we can look around town at least." Natsu kept his eyes forward, speaking in a more serious, genuine tone.

"Now you're sounding like a professional!" Mira beamed merrily. "I like that plan."

* * *

After meeting with the Rune Knight Captain, the two of them spent the evening walking around the small settlement and asking questions. However, nobody was able to tell them much outside the information compiled in the magic council's officially sanctioned reports.

Several hours later, the tired pair of Fairy Tail wizards relaxed in one of Clover Town's quiet restaurants. It was pretty late at night, so most of the patrons had already left, but thankfully the establishment would remain open for a few more hours.

Natsu had a half full mug of beer sitting in front of him, and was slouched back in his seat, comfortably patting his full belly. Mirajane on the other hand was sitting up with her knees together, reviewing some pages written in a small notepad. There was a cup of tea sitting on her side of the table, still steaming and awaiting more sips. They had enjoyed a filling meal, but their plates were already cleared away. Mirajane wore a pair of reading glasses and seemed engrossed in adding more detail to her concise notes.

"Alright, so let's review. Who are our targets?"

Natsu spoke with his eyes closed, still enjoying that fat and happy feeling. "Donny Deadeye and his fearsome sidekick..." he paused to chuckle at the ridiculous names, "...Mudbear."

"And what do they look like?"

"Like this." Natsu lazily lifted up the wanted poster with their likenesses sketched on it. He didn't even open his eyes, and quickly dropped his hand again after making his point.

"Natsu..." Mirajane lowered her glasses a little bit to give him an endearing look. "Describe them."

"Deadeye is like... average height, average build... he wears a big green cloak, and a hood . He also has a -NEENJA- mask underneath that hood, which completely covers his left eye. He carries a bow and arrow around with him."

The loud over-pronunciation of 'Ninja' made Mirajane squeak and jump a little bit in surprise. She pressed her palm to her chest and took a deep breath before continuing, "And the other one?"

"Mudbear is really big and bulky, tall like Elfman, but that's where the resemblance stops. His head is bald, but he has a big bushy red beard. Walks around shirtless most of the time. Big fat guy. Hairy, too." Natsu opened his eyes and looked around the room, sounding tired and bored. "He's a man, not an actual bear."

"What kind of magic do they use?" Mirajane kept looking at her notepad while Natsu was speaking, seeming almost as tired and bored as he was.

"Well, we know Mudbear can control dirt and mud. He uses it to cover his body and layer it thick enough to make him into a great big mud monster." Natsu described, looking up and gesturing to help emphasize the size that he mentioned. "Kind of like Max, I think, but with dirt instead of sand."

"And Deadeye?"

"They said that he uses his bow to fire all kinds of magical arrows that do different things. He has really good aim, and is quick, deadly." He snorts, "They have fitting names..."

"And what crimes are they accused of?" Mira put down her pen and took a sip from her tea cup, daintily raising her pinky as she tipped the cup back, of course.

"They've been robbing everybody! Travellers on the roads get held up for their valuables... and apparently that Mudbear guy can make himself big enough to pick up entire carriages and carry them off into the forest! The captain said they've even taken entire train cars for themselves! Deadeye destroys the couplings and Mudbear picks them up." Natsu sat up a little bit, that fiery look of righteous fury in his eyes now. "If there's people inside the carriages they take... they either keep them as hostages for ransom or just kill them... like they're lives don't even matter!" The dragonslayer bared his teeth angrily, clenching a fist on top of the table.

Mira didn't interrupt him, but reached across to softly try and pry his fingers open, so that she could slide the handle of his forgotten mug of beer into his hand.

Natsu paused at her touch and reached down, before lifting the drink up for a few long, thirsty pulls. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand afterwards, "They've killed a short list of wizards and rune knights who have come close to capturing them. Anyone who seems to pose a threat to them is quickly silenced."

Mirajane was pretty amazed at the way Natsu behaved when he had a purpose that he felt strongly about. All it took was for him to hear how callously their targets had disregarded human life to set him off. He was like a completely different person, a man that she knew would be a valuable asset for finishing the job successfully.

"We're lucky that the Captain sent the job to Fairy Tail first." Mira spoke up at last. "They must still remember how you guys took care of the Lullaby incident all those years ago."

Natsu nodded, his arms folded again at this point, sitting up with a focussed, intense expression. "And the Magic Council will be sending reinforcements and contacting the other guilds too if we fail. They can't have these maniacs still on the loose with the guild leader's conference coming up."

His eyes settled on Mirajane, and she looked back at him supportively, with a hint of concern. "So how do you think we should look for them?" She asked, with a calm tilt of her head.

"Well, I could try tracking their scent." The dragonslayer flared his nostrils, reminding Mira that his sense of smell was so potent and useful.

"But you don't know what their scent is!" Mirajane giggled.

This made Natsu smile again, grinning and baring his big white teeth. "Well, this Mudbear guy sounds like he probably has a pretty mighty stench, I could probably catch a whiff of it if we head out into the forest."

"What if we started walking the roads, heading out of town, to see if they try attacking us?" She asked.

"But what if they recognize us as the old famous Fairy Tail wizards? We don't want them to have the element of surprise if they think we're a threat." Natsu countered, raising a thoughtful finger.

"We could wear disguises, and dress up like we're really rich to make us look more appealing as victims?" Mirajane's eyebrows raised as she pitched the idea.  
Natsu rubbed the faint traces of pink stubble on his chin and looked at the ceiling as he mulled over the thought. "We could give that a shot. We'd probably have to go buy some clothes for it tomorrow though."

"And that's a bad thing?" Mirajane canted her head to the side and gave him another big smile.

This made Natsu laugh, and lean back again, his more pleasant mood returning. "I guess not!" He laced the fingers of his two hands together and rested them on his stomach while he slouched.

"Sounds like a plan!" Mira sounded excited, but quickly had to bring her hand up to cover her mouth when she let out a cute sounding sleepy yawn. "Now, I'm tired. Let's go find a good place to stay for the night."


	4. The Room

After paying their tab and wandering through the quiet Clover Town streets for a short while, Natsu and Mirajane managed to find an appropriately priced inn a few blocks away.

Mira was the first one to make it to the front desk, taking it upon herself to handle the room arrangements. Natsu hung back a few steps behind, folding his arms and letting her work her magic. It was amazing watching the way Mirajane could win a person over with her charms, she could be so polite and sweet to people in a way that was totally irresistible to most. Usually, she had nothing to gain from making others like her so much, but she usually went ahead and stole their hearts anyway. This night was a prime example of that, she knew that this clerk wouldn't be able to offer her anything special or discounted, nor did she want anything like that. She was just being her usual, sweet self.

He watched the way she kept smiling happily at the hotel clerk while she was talking to him, making the older gentleman blush and smile back at her dreamily. Occasionally she reached across to pat his hand or complimented him on how nice he was to her.

Natsu just shook his head, grinning fondly. It was no wonder that everyone had come to love her so much within Fairy Tail; she behaved just as sweetly to everyone during the years she spent working as a waitress and assistant to the master. The best part about it was that he knew her behavior was always one hundred percent genuine. If she was kind to a person, it was because she just wanted to be kind. If she had reason to dislike or hate somebody, she wouldn't keep those feelings to herself either. Simply put, Mirajane was just a good person who wore her heart on her sleeve, much like Natsu.

Soon enough, the clerk reached back behind him and fetched a key for her, offering it to her with very red cheeks at this point. Natsu watched as Mirajane bowed her head politely, thanked him a few times and gave one more winning smile before turning around to return to her team mate's side.

"Just one key?" Natsu raised an eyebrow, but couldn't stop smiling over what he had just witnessed.

"Yep! One key for one room." Mira answered, simply. "It's got two big beds, though!" She then turned on her heel to head towards the stairs, waving to the clerk one more time as she passed.

Natsu followed along behind her, and kept the conversation going even as they climbed the narrow stairs to their floor. "Are you sure? I mean it can't be that pricey, I can get a separate room…"

"Don't worry, Natsu! I don't mind sharing with you at all! I'd… I'd honestly feel a little better if we weren't separated anyway… Those two targets could have found out that we are in town by now… you know?" They reached the room pretty quickly, and Mira didn't waste any time before turning the key in the lock and opening the door.

"That's a good point, actually…" Natsu scratched his head and followed her inside before closing the door behind them. He slid the deadbolt over too, just in case. When he turned around to see what the room was like, he was pleasantly surprised by how roomy and comfortable it looked. It reminded him of Lucy's room, but with less pink. There were indeed two big beds, as promised.

"I only have one condition." Mirajane whirled around to face him, putting her hands on her hips. "I'm going to take a bath. Then after I'm done, YOU are taking one too!" She stated with an assertive smirk.

Natsu groaned, obviously not happy with that condition, "A bath?! But I just had one this mo-"

Mira abruptly cut him off by using one hand to shove him against the wall. "YOU ARE GOING TO TAKE A BATH, NATSU." She glared at him with cold, terrifying eyes that reminded Natsu of her Satan Soul takeover. Her hand took a hold of the front of his jacket and balled the fabric up into her fist. "End of discussion."

Natsu's eyes just widened helplessly, and he raised both of his hands up in defeat, "Okay, okay! I'll do it!" He couldn't help but just beam innocently at her, in the hopes that it might get her to go easier on him. It was his only defense against this kind of threat, though it still didn't have a very high success rate against the likes of Erza or Lucy.

Mira then released him and returned to a kind expression with a fond smile. "Good boy!" She smoothed out the front of his jacket with a quick swipe of her flattened palm before spinning around again and heading into the bathroom with her backpack. After she closed the door behind her, Natsu could hear the muffled sounds of her loudly muttering; "Do not want the sweaty boy smell! Do. Not. Want."

Natsu then sniffed at one of his armpits with a self conscious frown.

* * *

When Mirajane returned, having just enjoyed a nice long bath, she stepped out of the bathroom wearing a short, teal colored nightgown which just barely reached down past her hips. Much like the tank top she'd been wearing that day, the nightie had some elegant lace trim around the bust, but black this time. The fabric looked soft and comfortable, but it was also pretty sheer, and translucent enough that the faint outline of her thong could be seen underneath. The fabric hung nicely around her gorgeous figure, fitting her body with a flattering perfection that one might expect from an accomplished centerfold.

She clasped her hands together in front of herself, and smiled brightly at Natsu with a tilt of her head. "All done! Your turn now!"

Natsu had been on the far side of the room, doing one armed push-ups to pass the time, and froze when he looked up and saw her. Everyone knows that Natsu Dragneel rarely ever displays any interest in the fairer sex (or romance in general), but he did have eyes, after all. Those eyes widened as he looked up at her, and hints of color started showing on his cheeks.

"Uhhh…" was all he could manage, frozen in place.

"You heard me, get your butt in there!" Mirajane jerked a thumb over her shoulder in the direction of the bathroom behind her, before folding her arms and smirking at him, expectantly.

As much as she adored having Natsu around, Mirajane was not trying to make a show for him. Her short nightgown was just the kind of thing she usually slept in. She didn't feel remotely awkward around him for a plethora of reasons.

Mira had known Natsu for a long time and trusted him completely. She knew he had no history of being a creepy horn-dog. As far as she could tell, he was always a pretty considerate and surprisingly classy young man. Natsu was frequently surrounded by near-naked gorgeous women, and he never really reacted much to them. Between Erza's racier re-quips, Lucy's skimpy fashion sense, Cana always walking around in a bikini top and Mirajane's own swimsuit modelling, he never seemed to respond the same way that somebody like Macao or Wakaba would. On the other hand, she had been told all about his tendency to sneak into Lucy's apartment, but Mira figured he was just being goofy and familiar with his teammate in his own innocent way.

It wasn't like Mirajane was oblivious to the effect her body had on people either. She wasn't stupid, she had certainly received plenty of lustful looks from admirers within the guild and all around Fiore. After pictures of her bikini-clad body had been published so many times in Sorcerer Weekly Magazine, she eventually started getting all kinds of attention in the form of fan mail and delivered presents. It was a difficult adjustment at first, but she ultimately learned to accept their wandering eyes, as long as it didn't result in wandering hands (or stalking.)

Frankly, Mira knew that even if Natsu became turned on by seeing her like that, it still wouldn't bother her. This fact was further emphasized by the way she casually walked over to one of the beds and started pulling the covers back, so that she could climb into it. She had the small notepad in her hand too, as well as her reading glasses..

Natsu ultimately recovered from his brief trance, shaking his head to snap out of it. He then pushed himself up to his feet, before goofily snapping an eager salute. "YES, MA'AM!"

This made Mirajane laugh again as she wiggled under the covers, getting more comfortable. She then put her glasses on and flicked some hair out of her face before she started reading through the notepad again.

* * *

Natsu quickly closed the bathroom door behind him and sighed. After turning the water on to start filling up the bath, he sat on the edge of the tub and tiredly rubbed his face with his hands.

_What's happening to me? Why is my pulse racing? Is somebody using weird magic on me?_

He'd seen Mira plenty of times in far more revealing outfits than that before, and had never given it a second thought! The same goes for all the other girls in Fairy Tail that he knew were his friends. Had something changed?

_I don't have time to worry about this kind of thing!_

Despite his usually aloof behavior, Natsu wasn't completely oblivious to feeling the basic human need for physical contact. His mind just didn't seem ready for it, and he had other needs that usually dominated his consciousness instead. He had the burning desire to improve and surpass every wizard he knows. He was always tormented by the need to find Igneel. He felt the unwavering compulsion to protect his Fairy Tail family, and the responsibility to to stamp out any injustice that crossed his path. By extension, he always wanted to make his friends happy and enjoy themselves, which led him to have such a kind, jovial, goofy demeanor (most of the time.) If he started worrying about impressing the ladies, would that distract him from his other obligations?

_This is the way that Gramps, Gildarts and the other older wizards would react… am I turning into them? I suppose if Gildarts behaves that way… it can't be THAT bad…_

Natsu wasn't a kid anymore, but he was still a young man. Developing young men have needs that can't be suppressed forever, and it doesn't become any easier when they get near to their twenties. Natsu was probably harboring subconscious frustrations that had been building up for a long time.

_What would Lisanna think if she found out that I'd been thinking about her sister in such a way?_

Natsu had always cared about Lisanna a great deal, but he knew that she had a more intense affection for him than he had for for her. Though he may not have expressed it directly, he was always concerned about her feelings, both before her disappearance and after her return.

W_hy now… is it just because we're alone together, or are there more reasons than that?_

It was possible that Lisanna's recent return had sparked a change in both Natsu and Mirajane. The clouds that had hung over both of them seemed to evaporate, providing an immense feeling of relief and a return of self-confidence. With Kinana there to act as waitress, Mira was free to really be herself again, and return to being a bonafide Fairy Tail wizard just like everyone else. Perhaps that change had registered with Natsu. He was seeing the better parts of her old personality resurface, and he liked it.

Natsu blinked and returned to reality when he noticed that the tub was about to overflow. With a sigh, he reached across to turn the water off. Silently cursing himself, Natsu resolved to keep his troubling thoughts to himself and to pretend his little moment of clarity never happened.

The warm water certainly did feel good, once he finally got undressed and climbed into it.

* * *

_**A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I figured it was a good chance to pause a little bit and develop what's going through their heads at this point. **_

_**The subject of whether or not Natsu actually has thoughts about the women in the guild is always a murky one. The best examples I've seen of him actually acting remotely horny happen during the 4th OVA (where he eagerly conspires with the other guys to peep on the girls in the bath) and the 6th OVA where he actually uses the phrase 'great big tits,' in a sentence. Now, I don't think those count as canon examples, but I feel like there -has- been a little bit of a shift in the more recent story arcs to give him a slightly more mature mind. Character Development, and all that.  
**_

_**As I stated in my first author's note, this story takes place shortly after Tenroujima. If there was ever a time for him to have a little bit of a paradigm shift, I think that's when it would happen.**_

**_Please let me know whether or not you think my explanations in this chapter make sense for the two characters. Accurately portraying them is the challenge that I am most concerned about right now.  
_**


	5. Memories

It didn't take Natsu very long to finish his bath and get ready for bed. He walked out wearing only wore a pair of long red shorts, having packed so lightly that he neglected to bring the green t-shirt that he usually slept in. His scarf was wrapped around his neck too, of course.

The light next to Mirajane's bed was the only one on in the room, and it gently bathed both of them in a soft, dim, orange glow.

Mirajane was still reading the notes when Natsu returned, and then looked up at him with a sweet smile. "How was it?"

"Not too bad!" He grinned jovially, stretching as he walked past the front of her bed to make it to his. "Kind of reminded me of the springs in Hosenka Town."

Mirajane's eyes followed Natsu as he moved around the room. She was accustomed to seeing him in his open waistcoat, but that wasn't quite the same as being completely shirtless.

_Does he have more muscle tone these days?_ She wondered to herself, absently. His build was certainly starting to fill out a little bit. It made him look less like a boy and more like a man.

Mira didn't dwell on the thought for very long, though. She soon turned over on her side to place her glasses and notepad on the bedside table. "And now you get to sleep all nice and clean!" She added cheerfully.

Natsu just chuckled, and climbed into his own bed, retaining a surprisingly calm and relaxed demeanor. One might normally expect the energetic dragonslayer to be bouncing off the walls at this point, eager to entertain himself or find somebody to fight. Instead, he just laid on his back, comfortably keeping his hands behind his head.

Mira looked over at Natsu with a hint of concern. She quickly picked up that something wasn't quite right with him. "You okay over there?"

Natsu had been staring straight up at the ceiling, but blinked and glanced over at Mira when she spoke to him. He managed another smile. "Yep! Just... a little tired I guess," he responded.

"It has been a pretty long day." Mirajane added thoughtfully, "Ready for light's out?" She reached across to the lamp and hovered one finger over the switch. One of her eyebrows raised as she waited for his answer, expectantly.

Natsu nodded, "Whenever you are."

CLICK!

The room was then plunged into almost complete darkness, save for the dull glow of the street lamps outside peeking through the gaps in the curtains.

Natsu stayed completely still, continuing to lie on his back and look up at the ceiling. He could hear Mira's sheets rustling a little bit as she moved back into a more comfortable position.

There was a pause. Nobody said anything for a few minutes as they both laid there quietly.

"Natsu?" Mirajane's gentle voice spoke up quietly.

"Yea?"

"Can I be honest with you about something?"

"Of course!" Natsu replied quickly.

"It... it feels so good to be out in the field again." Her voice was very calm and soft, like she was barely expending any breath with each word. "I mean, I know I've fought a few times before what happened on Tenrou Island... but those were different circumstances."

"How do you figure?" Natsu's voice dropped to a lower register as well, mirroring hers.

"I only got involved for the big, desperate moments, you know? The S-Class trials were a little more casual at first I suppose, but everything else was like a super desperate need to protect everyone. It didn't feel like an adventure, it felt like a necessary evil."

Natsu paused and nodded, even though she wouldn't be able to see it. "Like fighting Freed..."

"Exactly."

"Well, I'm certainly happy to be out with you, too! Stopping the big threats like the Oracion Seis... or having to defend when our entire guild's safety is at risk... it's not the same." Natsu sighed, "Don't get me wrong, it's an amazing feeling to come out on top after something like that but... little jobs like these are always much more enjoyable."

"Yea... it's something I've really missed..."

A smile broke out on Natsu's face again, "Seeing new places, spending time with your team, having actual success and impressing more people around the world... they're some of the best upsides of being in Fairy Tail."

Mirajane's eyes had been given enough time to adjust to the dark room by this point, and she could barely make out the faint outline of Natsu in his bed. He was still laying on his back, with the covers just barely pulled up past his waist. The rest of the skin of his torso was still exposed to the slightly chilly air in the room. She spoke up again after a pause.

"Do... do you think that the rest of the guild might harbor any resentment for me... for being inactive for so long?" Mirajane's voice was merely a whisper at this point, and sounded full of trepidation.

"Mira..." Natsu turned his head to look towards her, with a faint trace of irritation in his tone. He could barely see the silhouette of her, lying on her side, and turned towards him. Even then, the outline of her curves were very pronounced and hard to ignore. "You know that's not true."

"No, I don't! For years all I did was wait tables and smile at people when I could have been out helping! I was an S-Class wizard, there was so much more good I could have done..."

"But you..." Natsu grimmaced, "You had a good reason..."

"There was nothing -good- about it." She interrupted, bitterly.

"You know what I mean!" Natsu propped himself up on one elbow, turning his body more towards her as he became more invested in the conversation. "Mira, nobody blames you at all! And you were still an enormously important asset to the guild, who everyone loved to be around."

"Is that enough, though? Even my poor brother, who carried around an immeasurable about of guilt and self-loathing for what happened, still found a way to keep fighting. He could at least isolate the takeovers to different body parts and rely on his own body's strength..." Mirajane quipped, sounding more agitated. "You seemed to be able to hold it together just fine too!"

"What happened to Lisanna was -not- easy for me." Natsu lowered his gaze to the floor, letting his spiky bangs hood darkly over his eyes.

"Natsu... you don't know what it's like." She continued, relentlessly, "Ever since you first joined as a little boy, you've always been eager to fight, and you were never denied that opportunity. You don't know what it's like to have to stay behind and wait for everyone come home safely, not being able to do anything to help keep the people you care most about safe!"

Natsu hesitated. He opened his mouth to speak, wanting to angrily retort at her for her last comment, but instead found himself feeling defeated and dumbfounded. There was a long silence before he finally started to answer. The words came out shaky, and extremely hushed. "I can only remember one time when I felt that way. It was when you three went on your S-class quest and left me behind."

Mirajane then quickly folded, realizing how she'd misspoken. She reached a hand towards him in the darkness, helplessly, as the tears started to well up behind her eyes. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean t-"

"Just... please don't think that I wasn't affected by what happened to her... please..." Natsu did a remarkable job of suppressing his anger. If anyone other than Mira or Elfman had deliberately pushed the Lisanna button, he would have completely lost it. Natsu knew that Mirajane had every reason to still suffer for what they all went through, even though the situation had technically been resolved. The importance of the fact that she was really opening up and letting herself be truly vulnerable around him was not lost on the dragonslayer either.

Mira covered her mouth with her hand and clenched her eyelids shut as she started letting out choked sobs. The stinging tears ran down her cheeks and she couldn't find any more words to say on the matter.

"Mira... I'm sorry..." Natsu started. Seeing tears from the people he cared about never sat well with Natsu, but he also knew that this was not an appropriate time to try and suppress them. He did, however, stand up and fetch a box of tissues from across the room.

He returned to Mira's side and cautiously knelt on the edge of her bed. After setting the box down on the bedside table, he simply tried to lean over and offer Mirajane a hug.

Mira eagerly pushed herself up to accept his embrace, and quickly circled her slender arms around his back, practically clinging to him. "Natsu..." She nestled her face against his chest and tried to keep him close as the tears started to flow more freely. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."

Natsu instinctively rested his chin against the top of her head, and wrapped his arms securely around her lower back. "It's alright... don't worry about it..." He started to smile as he answered her, and his tone carried that warm, encouraging tone that he often used when he was being kind. "You're in a safe place... we all have to find ways to let it out once in a while..."

Mira nodded against him, and felt the tickling sensation as one of the ends of his scarf grazed against her face. He was warm, and she felt small in his strong embrace. Regardless, the tears didn't show any sign of stopping, and instead she started bawling more audibly, losing the prior restraint.

Natsu silently started rubbing slow circles with his fingertips on her lower back, mimicking the soothing action she had done to his scalp, earlier that day. He didn't say anything else to interrupt her, just stared forward into the darkness with a stoic expression, and held her close.

It took a few more minutes for Mirajane's cries to begin to subside. She had more than her fair share of suppressed concerns and emotions to let out. Natsu certainly didn't mind being there for her either.

"You've always been so kind to me, Natsu..." she finally spoke up, sounding every bit as shaky and croaky as you might expect.

"And don't you forget it," He answered with a grin.

Mirajane couldn't help but interrupt her remaining sobs with a small giggle. She then gently released him from her grip and nudged him away when she felt somewhat composed again.

"Mira... I know you've had a really rough couple of years... but you've done an amazing job keeping a brave face for the rest of the guild..." He started, reaching for the tissue box to hand it to her. "You've been there for us in every way that you possibly could, which is one hell of a lot more than I'm sure most anyone else would do in your situation."

Mira just managed a weak smile and blew her nose with the tissues a few times.

"But Lisanna is back now... she's alright! And it's wonderful!" Natsu continued, "The legendary story of the real Mirajane Strauss can continue right where it left off. We still have lots of adventuring to do, and I know that you'll always be there for us when we need it most."

"Okay!" Mira finally answered with an eager nod. Her eyes were still puffy and her nose was still running, but she was managing a big smile at this point. "Thank you, Natsu. Just when I think you couldn't be anymore of a sweetheart..." She leaned in to give him another brief hug before scooting away and heading to the bathroom. "I'm such a mess..."

Natsu chuckled after her retreat, feeling grateful that she couldn't see his blush from her second hug.

She returned a few minutes later, having cleaned herself up and regained her composure as much as possible. They both made it back into their respective beds, and it didn't take them very long to drift off to sleep.

Mirajane was awake for a little bit longer than Natsu though, and found herself continuing to gaze at the silhouette of his sleeping form.

_Those two thieves don't stand a chance. _She thought to herself._  
_


	6. Deadeye

_Magnolia, Year X782 - Two years before the Tenrou Island Incident_

_The torrential rain continued to pour mercilessly as a single figure sat near a lonely looking gravestone at the edge of town. A small hut made of sticks and straw lingered in the background, behind the gravestone._

_She was completely motionless, hugging her knees to her chest, with her bright blue eyes downcast. The rain had long since soaked through the meager amounts of dark violet fabric that covered her pale skin. Her long white hair concealed her face by hanging low in front of it. She did not shiver. She did not move._

_A second figure approached from behind the first's line of sight. It was a young man. His moves were cautious and slow, and he stopped a few feet short of the girl._

_For a long time, they both remained motionless, with one standing and one sitting. Ultimately, the boy took a few more steps forward and sat down beside her. He sat cross-legged and remained silent. Vibrant, rose colored hair was saturated and plastered against his forehead. The mud from the wet ground began to stain his clothes._

_No words were exchanged._

_The rain continued to fall._

* * *

Clover Town, Year X791 - Present Day

"This is humiliating..." Natsu complained.

"No it is not!" Mirajane swiftly answered.

"These clothes are really uncomfortable..."

"But you look so handsome!"

A defeated sigh escaped Natsu, and he let his head sag pitifully.

The two of them were walking along a quiet road at the edge of town, leaving the buildings behind in exchange for a thickly wooded area. The dirt road winding through the forest was otherwise lacking in scenery.

After a good night's rest, the two fairy tail wizards had enjoyed a leisurely breakfast before venturing to one of the more reasonably priced tailors in Clover Town. It had taken a few hours for Mirajane to finally settle on a new look for Natsu and herself, much to his despair.

"I still don't see why we can't just walk normally." Natsu's gait was slow and stiff, it actually fit the part of the wealthy, privileged youth that he was trying to play pretty well. The grumpy expression on his face, on the other hand, was not helping the illusion at all.

"Aw, don't say that!" Mirajane looked up at him with an endearing smile before gently nudging his shoulder with her forehead. "This is fun!"

The two of them were actually walking arm-in-arm. More specifically, Natsu had his elbow cocked to the side and held out for Mirajane, so that she could daintily hold onto it while she walked. It was all part of the act that they had devised, in order to appear privileged and vulnerable.

While they had originally decided that they'd need full disguises, ultimately they both agreed that the fancy clothes would be enough to sway any suspicions that they might be from a magic guild. This meant that they weren't using wigs or hair dyes, and Natsu even continued wearing his scarf.

Mirajane's new look featured of a particularly elegant strapless black dress. White frills trimmed the edges, and the long skirt was split on one side, showing plenty of leg. She also wore a pair of long black gloves which reached up past her elbows. If there was anyone in Fairy Tail who looked at home in a formal gown, it was Mirajane. She seemed to really glow in that new dress.

For Natsu, she had picked out a stylish looking grey waistcoat, complete with a white dress shirt, and matching grey pants to go with it. A leather belt and pair of dress shoes were also added to complete the look. Blazers didn't really suit Natsu anyway. While he admittedly looked pretty good in the fancier getup, Natsu still was not a fan. The whole process just seemed to make Mira so happy that it almost seemed worth it for him to put up with it just for her sake.

"How are we supposed to fight like this if they show up, anyway?" Natsu asked as he tucked his free hand into his front pocket.

"Well I've got nothing to worry about, my take over forms keep the dress out of the way until I'm done with my transformation." Mira answered, cheerfully.

He couldn't help but grumble, and adopt that slightly irritated tone. "Correction. How am -I- supposed to fight like this?"

"Loke fights in a suit all the time now, doesn't he?"

"That's not the same! He doesn't use fire! Plus he's a celestial spirit, he probably doesn't even have a real suit on, it could just some kind of... celestial illusion or something." Natsu lifted his hand out of his pocket to wiggle his fingers in the air to punctuate his statement. "Besides, why would we be dressed so fancy if we were going to be walking a long way? We look like we're supposed to be at a ball, not travelling."

Mirajane took the opportunity to give Natsu a pitiful expression, "Come on, is it really that bad? You're not saying that you think my ideas are stupid, are you?" She pretended to look on the verge of tears, giving him the sad puppy eyes.

"No..." Natsu grumbled again, casting his gaze to the side of the road with irritation.

Mira then smiled and lifted her chin up, triumphantly. "Mmhmm! I knew you'd see it my way!"

"I wonder how Lucy and Happy are right now..." Natsu thought out loud, after a pause.

"I'm sure they're doing just fine! But we could always use our lacrima to check in with Warren and the Master, if it'll make you feel better." She returned to a more sincere expression when she made the suggestion.

"Maybe later..." he answered.

* * *

The pair spent a few hours walking all around the various roads that led in and out of the town. They were just about to give up hope when the deafening silence of the lonely road was finally interrupted.

The first thing they saw was the volley of magic arrows that fell straight down into a perfect circle pattern on the ground around the two of them. The 'arrows' glowed with a bright green light, stuck into the ground before dissipating after a few seconds. Natsu was reminded of Bisca and Alzack's gunslinging magic, where spells were fired from the weapons instead of actual bullets.

Mirajane was sharp enough to stay in character when the first shot was fired. She let out a shrill scream, then clung to Natsu's arm and tried to hide behind him.

Natsu, on the other hand, immediately yelled out "FINALLY!" Mirajane had to discretely punch his back to correct him, and he did his best to make up for the brief lapse. "Uhh... I mean... Oh no! Please don't hurt me! I'M TOO RICH TO DIE!" He held up his hands in surrender, with his teeth chattering and knees shaking in 'fear.'

"That was your warning shot." A shrill, sneering male voice called out from behind them. "Hand over everything you've got if you wish to walk away with your lives."

Natsu spun around to see that the voice belonged to one of the men they were looking for. Deadeye's outfit matched the wanted poster perfectly, and he even had the bow. He was striding towards them, with the bow in one hand and an empty potato sack in the other.

"Okay, okay just please don't hurt us!" Mirajane whimpered as she started to shakily remove the pieces of costume jewelry from around her neck and wrists.

Natsu continued to over-act as he reached into his back pocket to produce an empty wallet. "You dispicable scoundrel..." he uttered through chattering teeth.

Deadeye didn't appear to react, keeping his one visible eye on both of his 'victims' while holding up the potato sack. "I'd advise you not to try anything stupid."

Natsu stepped forward, maintaining the cowardly posture as he reached out to drop his 'wallet' into the bag. However, the moment he let go of said wallet, he lunged forward an delivered a violently powerful punch into the thief's stomach.

_**[[A/N: Search "Fairy Tail Salamander Theme" on Youtube for added effect!]]**_

Deadeye was knocked back by the surprise attack, caught completely off guard. He landed hard on his back, a few yards away.

"LOOKS LIKE I FOUND YOU, DEADEYE!" Natsu stalked forward like a true predator, both of his hands igniting readily with flames. "NOW WHERE'S YOUR FRIEND?"

Mirajane decided to let Natsu have his fun first, taking the chance to keep an eye out for Mudbear instead. She acted like she wasn't even a magic user for the time being, too. She was certainly eager to fight, but she knew that Natsu probably had a lot more pent up energy to release.

"You're going to regret that..." was all the thief said in response to the punch, before swiftly hopping to his feet with a back hand-spring. In the blink of an eye, he snatched an arrow from his quiver and knocked it back, aiming right at Natsu. "ARROW MAGIC: FROZEN SHOT!" The arrow seemed to turn to ice in its wielder's hands before being released.

Natsu barely dodged the first shot, which instantly created a big patch of ice on the ground where it landed behind him, similar to Gray's magic. Deadshot rapidly reloaded and continued an unrelenting barrage of the frozen projectiles, littering the road with the icy patches as Natsu swiftly darted back and forth to keep out of harm's way.

The dragonslayer soon turned and sprinted directly at the archer, assaulting with aggressive swings from flaming fists. Deadeye managed to dodge Natsu's attacks though, flitting in and out of visibility, moving so fast that it seemed like he was teleporting.

"You're quick, for somebody so rich and helpless." The bandit quipped, sarcastically.

"YOU AIN'T SEEN NOTHIN', YET PAL!" Natsu yelled, practically shaking the surrounding trees with the volume of his voice. He then reared his head back and took a deep breath. "FIRE DRAGON ROOOOOAAAAAARRRRR!"

Deadeye leapt straight up, sailing impressively high in the air to avoid Natsu's flames, before grabbing a handful of arrows and loading all of them onto the bow string at once. "ARROW MAGIC: RAIN OF FIRE!"

True to the spell's name, copious amounts of flaming magic arrows soon bore down on Natsu. He could have stayed in place and waited to eat the flames, but he decided it would be more entertaining to just leap up through the burning volley in pursuit of his target. Some of the arrows did manage to singe his clothes, but Natsu was otherwise completely unaffected as he ascended through the air.

The archer's eye widened when he saw the dragonslayer move right through his attack and come straight for him. Deadeye was fast and had many talents, but flight was not one of them. He cursed inwardly for leaving himself so open, he had nowhere to go!

"NOW I'VE GOTCHA!" Natsu reeled his arm back and grinned wickedly before unleashing his own attack. "FIRE DRAGON IRON FIST!"

Natsu's punch absolutely walloped Deadeye, hitting him squarely in the jaw and knocking him even higher into the air. The thief's body spun and flailed helplessly as he ultimately started falling back to earth again. His hood and mask even caught fire in places, as well as parts of the cloak he wore.

Natsu landed lightly on his feet, putting out the small fire had burned a hole in the upper sleeve of his dress shirt. He looked back up, expecting to see his tumbling target soon crash hard into the ground, but Deadeye had somehow disappeared again.

Deadeye's now hoarse voice bellowed through the area "VENOM SHOT!"

Natsu whirled around to see that the burning archer had made it into one of the trees behind him, and was perched on one of the branches, aiming his bow directly at Mirajane. The arrow was released.

Natsu didn't even hold his breath, because by the time the arrow had reached her, Mira had already assumed her Satan Soul Takeover. She then batted the measly arrow away with her demonic tail, and simply stared at Deadeye, coldly.

Knowing he was both outnumbered and outclassed, the notorious thief decided to instigate a tactical retreat. "BLINDING SHOT!"

Before Natsu and Mirajane could think to cover their eyes, a magic arrow hit the ground and exploded, creating an ridiculously bright flash of light. Both of them were incapacitated for a few seconds by the temporary blindness.

By the time they could see clearly again, Deadeye was long gone.

* * *

_**A/N: Six chapters posted on six consecutive days! Think I'll be able to put one out tomorrow to make it a perfect week?**_

_**Also thought I'd try my hand at a little action scene! Hope it you were able to follow it okay!**_


	7. Mudbear

_Magnolia, Year X782 - Two years before the Tenrou Island Incident_

_The rain continued to fall._

_Natsu finally broke the long silence when he spoke up. "I'm sorry…"_

_Mirajane continued to hug herself, and didn't look over to acknowledge him. Her eyes remained focussed on the gravestone. _

_Another long period passed by, with both of them staring downwards with intense scowls._

_Eventually, she spoke up, her voice quiet and cold. "There are many reasons why this happened. You are not one of them."_

_It had been weeks since that stone had been placed there, but Mira and Elfman's grief had not shown any signs of improvement._

_Natsu sighed quietly, before allowing yet another silence wash over them. The sound of the raindrops hitting the trees of the surrounding woods was all that filled the air. He looked over at her, and still received no response._

_Mirajane had bullied him often when they were younger. She was an intense, loud, unpleasant teenager for the most part. She was infamous in Fairy Tail for never getting along with anyone besides her siblings, and it showed in the way nobody ever went out of their way to speak to her other than her family members. Even in their grief, nobody besides Elfman ever came to talk to her. Some were tempted, but most of them kept their distance, figuring she either didn't want to be around anyone or that she would turn violent if they approached._

_Natsu wasn't usually the sharpest tool in the Fairy shed, but he could tell that she needed the distraction, if nothing else. He was a caring person, and he knew she was hurting. She wasn't the only one grieving for Lisanna, plus he was all too familiar with the pain of losing what little family you have left to hold onto. _

_He was also aware that Mirajane held him in slightly higher regard than most anyone in the guild. She had always made a point to patronize him for being a cute victim when they were younger, and once they'd both matured a few years, he became one of the few people she didn't mind hanging around._

_As they continued to sit in silence, Natsu decided that he would not leave anytime soon. They had plenty more to talk about._

* * *

The Mountains North of Clover Town, Year X791 - Present Day

With panicked, ragged breathing, Donny Deadeye rapidly tore through the forest. He sprinted along the faintly worn paths and occasionally hopped from branch to branch with deft agility. He was the fastest man he knew. There was no way that he could have been followed.

Eventually his frantic footsteps brought him near to his destination. The path opened up to reveal a steep incline before him, where the hillside was lacking in trees, replaced by disturbed earth and gravel instead. At the top of said hill was the sheltered ledge where he and Mudbear had decided to take up residence for a few weeks. The place had proven a great location for their hideout. It was a secure, defensible spot, far away from the beaten track of any travellers or hikers in the area. It was situated just beneath a narrow pass between mountains, and the rock formations wrapped around it, almost completely obscuring it from outside view, unless you were looking straight down from the sky.

Deadeye grimmaced and started ascending the steep mountainside. His stamina had already been intensely tested by the fight he was just involved in, not to mention the long distance he had just run. The damage he had sustained from Natsu's fists weren't to be taken lightly either, having caused extensive swelling on the man's face already, beneath his mask.

As he ultimately reached their hideout location, Donny all but collapsed in front of Mudbear from the exhaustion. The burly accomplice had been busying himself by standing in front of a stolen mirror, wearing all of the jewelry they had recently pilfered at the same time. It was quite the sight to see the 6'8'' man daintily holding his wrist up to his reflection and marvelling at his sparklies.

"Welcome home, dear!" The enormous man cooed in a facetiously high voice.

"We've got trouble…" Deadeye gasped, going down onto all fours and hyperventilating from all the exertion.

The two men had spread out various pieces of stolen furniture at the campsite, making the hidden ledge seem like an oddly placed yardsale up on the mountainside.

"Trouble?" Mudbear grunted, immediately shifting his demeanor and looking pissed off that anything might interrupt him while he was revelling over his new shinies. "And you led it here?"

Deadeye took a few moments to get some of his breath back before responding. "I wasn't followed, but it looks like somebody in the town must have enlisted the help of a magic guild..."

Mudbear frowned and turned around, folding his arms. It was an odd contrast, seeing the mean look on his face and his intimidating appearance while all of his pearls and chains jingled with every movement. "How many?"

"I only encountered two wizards, but they weren't push-overs." Deadeye kept his head down, not wanting to move and see the damage caused to his face yet.

"You did kill them though, right?" Mudbear asked, his disapproving glare already fixed on his partner in crime.

"No… they were… too much for me." He grumbled out of the side of his mouth.

Mudbear let out a boisterous, rumbling laugh. "Wow! Look at you all meek and cowering. Looks like I might need to find a new partner! Maybe one who doesn't wet his little pants when any two guild wimps come after him."

"Oh yea? Did you manage to steal a dress in your size yet? You know, something that will go well with your earrings?" Deadeye quipped.

This just made Mudbear just stare at him, coldly. "Too mean." He didn't take any of the jewelry off, though.

"Whatever. Regardless, I think it's time to send the Clover authorities a little message. Let's see how well they can solicit more wizards to help them after their garrison's forces have been massacred."

* * *

"THERE! DOWN THERE!" Natsu yelled, after sniffing the air one more time for good measure.

"Amazing..." Mirajane's demonic, echoing voice stated (with a surprising amount of genuine wonder in her tone.) She was still in the Satan Soul form, and holding onto Natsu's shoulders while tearing through the sky at an astonishing speed.

"DROP ME, NOW!" Natsu instructed, pointing to the campsite in the distance.

Mira immediately did as she was asked, and dropped her payload without question. Natsu started plummeting towards the earth, and spread his limbs out to direct his descent. He bore down on the camp like with furious determination in his eyes.

"Careful now…" Mira muttered, pausing for a moment before swooping down to follow him.

* * *

"Think you'll be able to do it without running away and pissin' your pants in fear again?" Mudbear bellowed with a boisterous laugh.

Deadeye just shook his head, and slowly rose to his feet. "Laugh it up while you can, big fella."

A faint, unfamiliar sound then permeated the air, and was only noticeable after Mudbear stopped laughing. "What was that?"

Deadeye held up a finger to hush his enormous accomplice and listened.

"Fire... dragon…"

The sound of Natsu's ballistic yelling became louder and louder. Both men slowly looked up.

"WING ATTAAAAAAACK!"

BOOM!

The dragonslayer's attack landed directly on top of Deadeye's back, sending a violent shock wave of flames and force in all directions. Mudbear had to brace himself as the wall of flame hit him, but he was far enough away to avoid taking any serious damage.

Deadeye, on the other hand, lay unconscious and completely charred beneath Natsu's sinister crouched form. It was amazing that the attack hadn't been immediately fatal, a testament to Deadeye's own resilience. He was most definitely out of the fight, though.

When the smoke and dust cleared, Mudbear looked up and saw Natsu standing there with a maniacal grin. The young man's knuckles lingered on the ground, and his eyes seemed to glow red with the intense passion of his righteous fury.

"Your murdering days are over…" Natsu muttered, before finally standing up straight and igniting new flames in his hands. The words of Master Makarov on the day they assaulted the Phantom Lord guild hall echoed in his mind, and he repeated them with a loud roar, "FAIRY TAIL HAS COME CALLING!"

It proved to be the perfect distraction for Mirajane to make her entrance. Now it was her turn to play.

* * *

**_A/N: Seven chapters in seven days! From now on, I probably won't be updating quite so frequently, but don't despair! I am having a blast writing this story, and don't have any intention of stopping with it anytime soon!_**

**_Also, thanks for hanging in through the action parts. You'll be rewarded a big fluff pay off soon enough!_**


	8. Satan Soul

_Magnolia, Year X782 - Two years before the Tenrou Island Incident_

_The rain continued to fall._

_"My favorite thing about Lisanna was her smile."_

_This particular interruption of the silence finally made Mirajane turn to look at Natsu._

* * *

**_[[A/N: Youtube search: "Tai Ma Gekisen" and listen while reading for added effect]]_**

The Mountains North of Clover Town, Year X791 - Present Day

Mirajane's opening attack happened so fast that even Natsu had trouble following it with his eyes. The demonically transformed woman swooped in like a bloodthirsty bird of prey with a rocket strapped to its back. Her body emerged through the wall of smoke and flames to collide hard into Mudbear's. She securely wrapped her arms around him to lift him up off the ground, catching him completely off guard. Her long, sharp claws sunk into the shirtless brute's skin around his chest, and she beat her wings hard to maintain her speed.

Mudbear cried out in pain and flailed helplessly, feeling the intense stabbing sensation as Mirajane's claws sunk deeper into his flesh, moving closer to puncturing his lungs. The blood pooled between her fingers, and her arms only constricted more tightly around her victim to keep him still.

Natsu let the flames around his fingertips dissipate, and lifted one hand up like a visor to shade his eyes from the sun. He just grinned and watched the fight unfold, ignoring the possibly dead man that he was still standing on with one foot.

Mira anticipated that the G-forces of the tight manoeuvre would be too powerful for Mudbear, but apparently she was wrong. Her victim continued to struggle as they hurtled head-first towards the ground below them.

"Gah! Let me go you Crazy bitch!"

"Suffer…" she responded with demonic malice in her tone.

At the last possible moment, Mirajane separated from her victim, pushing him away from herself and beating her wings hard to bank away from the impending collision. Mudbear's descent continued without slowing, and in less than another second, his thrashing body reached the flat section of soil near where Natsu first landed.

What happened next made Natsu's eyes widen and his jaw drop. "No way!"

The ground gave way beneath Mudbear's hulking form, squashing like an enormous cushion, before stretching back into place and bouncing him up into the air. Mudbear grinned at his spell's success, and tucked his body up into a ball, flipping continuously in the air as he regained control.

The dragonslayer continued to stare in awe at the spectacle, "Did he just… use his magic to turn the ground into a giant trampoline?!"

Mirajane circled back around, looking equally surprised by the outcome of her failed manoeuvre. In moments, she swooped in again to follow up with an attack spell. A dark sphere of energy began to form in her hands as she closed in on her target. She clenched her sharp teeth and as the ball grew larger, crackling with instability and seeming to suck all light from the area surrounding it.

Once she was close enough, she slung the spell at Mudbear with outstretched claws, letting her momentum give even more force to her attack. "SATANIC BLAST!" Her deep, spine chilling voice rang out, before she banked again to buzz past Mudbear's airborne form.

Mudbear grinned readily, his body finally beginning to descend again after his enormous bounce. With all four limbs splayed, he cast his own spell to defend himself. "MUD MAKE: WALL!"

As the spell's name suggested, an unexpectedly large amount of slick mud and clay responded to his command, shooting up into the air in a thick wall formation to protect him. The dark orb collided with the mud and created a terrific explosion, ripping the very molecules of the soil into shreds and casting the entire mountainside into darkness for a few seconds. The wall managed to protect it's caster though, because the brunt of the explosion did not reach Mudbear himself.

As Mirajane circled around again, she let out a feral growl of frustration which made her sound like a true demon.

Mudbear siezed the opportunity to press the counter-attack after he finally landed back on the ground. The earth gave way to his weight again, before the soil seemed to liquify and raise up at his command.

"You're strong… devil… nobody's ever been able to lift me like that…" All of the dirt and clay from the surrounding area seemed to liquify and roll towards Mudbear at the same time. It moved to wrap around his entire body, taking a bulky, humanoid shape and growing in size, exponentially.

Natsu finished checking Deadeye's pulse beneath him and looked back up to see the 'big mud monster' he had heard all about. The shadow it cast continued to grow larger, until it seemed to level out when it was about the same height as the Fairy Tail guild hall. A great big muddy maw opened, dribbling the wet soil from its jowls as a deep, rumbling voice echoed through the valley. "BUT NO ONE CAN DEFEAT THIS FORM!"

Mirajane seemed unfazed by the transformation, and soon swooped back in towards the target's chest, blackness congealing at her fingertips again as she prepared another spell. "DARKNESS… STR-"

Mira's words and spell were both abruptly cut short when Mudbear's colossal new form lifted it's arm and easily backhanded her aside like a troublesome insect. The 'monster' was able to move with much more quickness and awareness than anyone would expect, despite its immense size.

Natsu gasped as he watched Mirajane plummet helplessly into the mountainside, crashing hard and disappearing into the huge crater that her impact created. "MIRA!" He watched the mud monster laugh with an unsettling maniacal gurgle, before it turned to follow her. Huge, lumbering steps allowed it to quickly close the distance between them, scaling the side of the mountain to loom over where Mira had fallen.

It dawned on the dragonslayer for the first time that despite all of Mirajane's power, she had still been inactive for two years, and didn't have anywhere near as much fighting experience as he did. Her power was so great that she was usually able to overwhelm her targets with relative ease. While she was still highly intelligent and often a great strategist, she could be overconfident and careless. He knew that if she wasn't careful, Mirajane could actually lose this fight.

Natsu on the other hand, had continued to grow and improve during the years Mira was inactive. He thrived on great challenges, and was always surrounded by more powerful wizards in Fairy Tail that he yearned to surpass. He had gone into far more fights as the underdog, putting everything on the line to learn from his opponent, adapt and dig deep to ultimately come out the victor. The world famous Salamander had become known for his ability not just to fight, but to overcome seemingly impossible odds, reinforced by his iron will and unyielding determination to succeed.

"GET UP, MIRA! YOU CAN'T GIVE UP NOW!"He ran a few steps forward, leaving the unconscious Deadeye behind to yell out, desperately. "COME ON!"

Mirajane did share one of Natsu's strongest attributes, though. She possessed the same level of passion, the burning desire to protect those who needed it. She would not allow herself to be beaten so easily, not by someone who had caused so much harm to so many innocent people.

Black and purple 'light' began to crackle and shine from inside the crater, and Natsu grinned when he heard her voice again. Mira's voice rang out again with shrill, earsplitting cry while she prepared to unleash another spell. "EVIL... PUSH!"

Mudbear's arm reeled back, turning his massive shoulders as he prepared to deliver an earth-shattering punch down onto his target. However, he was interrupted when Mira's attack created an enormous purple spell circle on his chest. The circle exploded in a huge, forceful blast that actually made the hulking monster stagger back a few steps. The mud covering the front of Mudbear's torso was blown apart, scattering all over the mountainside in enormous globs. It left a great big gaping empty space where most of the monster's chest and stomach used to be.

Mira's bat-like wings beat hard as she rose back up into the air, staring down her opponent with eyes glowing red.

Mudbear gasped for a moment at the damage she caused, before setting his stance, tilting his head back and letting out a roar which shook the air for miles around. He started gathering the mud he lost, summoning it back to his enormous muddy abomination of a body.

He didn't stop after regaining the mass that he'd lost though. The roar continued, and even more of the earth's soil was drawn to his colossal form. The surface of the entire mountain seemed to be stripped bare, uprooting trees, grass and boulders all to join up and increase his size even further, to the point where his height rivaled that of even the mountain itself.

Natsu had to run and duck behind one of the more sturdy rock formations on the mountain to avoid being swallowed up, and mercifully carried Deadeye on his back as he did so.

Mirajane tried to interrupt the process, but Mudbear continued to bat her away every time she got close enough to him. Once he had reached his full size, Mirajane attempted to circle around behind him but was flicked aside again with a casual laugh. Even when she flung her dark spells at him, they barely seemed to have any effect. The thick layers of consistent mud seemed to be too much of a barrier for any of her damage to get through.

"YOU REALLY THINK YOU HAVE THE STRENGTH TO DEFEAT A MOUNTAIN?!" Mudbear laughed maniacally again, a sound that rumbled through the air for miles, even faintly heard all the way in Clover Town itself. "ONCE I'M THROUGH WITH YOU SMALL TIME CHUMPS, HOW ABOUT I LEVEL THAT ENTIRE PITIFUL TOWN? HOW DOES THAT SOUND?"

Natsu had heard enough. He couldn't stay out of the fight any longer, despite how insurmountable his foe appeared to be. Leaving Deadeye's unconscious body behind the rocks, he sprinted out of cover with maniacal determination.

Mira swooped around the front, looking more than a little battered and bruised at this point, and tried to fling another giant orb of lightless energy at the unstoppable behemoth. "EVIL… EXPLOSION!"

Mudbear just turned and grinned, before clapping his hands together around Mirajane, who really was about the size of a fly compared to him at this point. Her spell was interrupted, and she fell straight down to earth after his hands separated.

"NOOO!" Natsu's eyes widened in fear and worry when he witnessed her body hit the ground again with a pained cry. He let out a fierce, draconic roar of anguish, and ignited his hands behind him, propelling him forward to sprint faster. If he could defeat Lullaby and Dorma Anim, then he could beat this thing.

Mudbear lifted his arm threateningly, preparing to deliver the finishing blow to Mirajane, but then abruptly stopped. He noticed Natsu's approach, and just tilted his unfathomably large head back to laugh again. "THE SCRAWNY LITTLE FUCKER WANTS TO PLAY TOO?"

"SCRAWNY?!" Natsu would not be deterred. He dove forward to spring off the ground with his hands, and set off an explosion to help propel him much higher in the air. Then, once he was at the peak of his jump, he tucked his arms and legs together before setting off another explosion near his feet, propelling him with greater force, directly at Mudbear's stomach.

Mudbear made no moves to stop him from getting any closer.

Flickering flames surrounded Natsu's projectile body as he reeled back to unleash his desperate attack. "DRAGONSLAYER SECRET ART…" Natsu's eyes looked like they were truly on fire at this point. The determination to protect Mirajane, as well as the entire town of Clover, became his strength. "CRIMSON LOTUS: EXPLODING FLAME BLADE!"

His body spun around, swiping the sides of his hands like swords as the force of his flames ripped through the immense mass of earth and debris that currently made up Mudbear's hide. Normally, his flames would have no effect on the smothering, wet physical properties of mud, but the sheer force of the ensuing explosion was what made the difference.

Natsu's attack sliced right through Mudbear's stomach in a wide arc, completely severing the top half of his body from the bottom half. However, the dragonslayer's own body continued to travel forward as a result of his own momentum, drifting forward into the center of the gaping cavity he had just created.

Mudbear let out a screaming cry of pain, but he was not finished yet. Apparently the man's real human body was being kept somewhere nearer to the head, not the stomach.

Mirajane had pushed herself up onto her hands and knees, and witnessed the whole thing. Her satanic eyes widened in genuine fear as she saw the tiny silhouette of Natsu drifting in the air, and foresaw what was about to happen. "NATSU!"

Natsu flailed helplessly in the air, and soon realized the grave miscalculation he'd made. "CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP CRAP!"

Mudbear's body then corrected the 'wound' that Natsu created . The mud gurgled and resealed the gap, knitting the two body halves back together and swallowing Natsu inside the stomach area.

Despair filled every fiber of Mirajane's being.

As strong as the dragonslayer was, she knew that suffocation wasn't something that could be overcome by sheer strength of will. It was happening right before her eyes again. Painful images from the past echoed in her mind, making the feeling all that much worse.

She could not let it end this way.

She would not allow it to happen again.

Driven by righteous vengeance and incomparable rage, her body took flight again. She hovered in place and let out a blood curdling scream with a decibel level that rivalled even Mudbear's evil laughter. Dark energy swirled and crackled around her like a vortex, before she launched herself right at her mountainous foe. She aimed directly for where Natsu had been trapped.

"HAH! YOU WISH TO JOIN HIM?! BE MY GUEST!" Mudbear bellowed with another laugh.

Mirajane's demonic form became encompassed by the dark light again, and she started to spin like a torpedo, or a drill bit. With another blast of energy to further increase her speed, she dove head first into the sea of mud that made up their foe's body. With a gurgling sound, she disappeared into its depths.


	9. Fire and Clay

_**A/N: I've recieved a few comments about Mira's Halphas and Sitri forms. Please bear in mind that the story takes place right after the guild returns from Tenrou Island, and neither forms have been introduced to the plot at this point. Also, Halphas is an anime exclusive form, and therefore isn't considered canon anyway.**_

* * *

The Mountains North of Clover Town, Year X791, Present Day

Darkness.

The churning, wet mud filled every one of Mirajane's senses, but she kept her eyes and mouth clamped shut to keep the sickening ooze out. The immense weight and viscosity of the substance made it near impossible to move, were it not for the immense power and strength she possessed.

The momentum of her dive carried her forward, and her body continued to spin and drive through the impossibly thick substance. The physical and magical strain put on her body by this effort was mind boggling, but there was no way she would allow him to suffocate in this darkness.

All she could do to stay sane in the cold tomb of blackness was sense Natsu's waning magic power ahead of her, and keep moving towards it. A lifetime of both fond and bitter memories stayed at the forefront of her mind, to help keep her motivated.

* * *

_Magnolia, Year X782 - Two years before the Tenrou Island Incident_

_The rain continued to fall._

_Mirajane kept hugging herself and suppressed her cold shivers. Her head was turned to listen to Natsu as he spoke._

_"No matter what happened, she always had a smile on her face." Natsu folded his arms, letting the rain fall onto his pink hair and red jacket without obstruction. "Remember?"_

_Mirajane just turned to look back at the gravestone, and didn't have any response._

_"I already gave Elfman this speech. He's here every day." Natsu added._

_"I know you did… I overheard it." Mirajane stated quietly, without taking her eyes off of the stone. "It seems to have affected him a great deal…"_

_This time it was Natsu's turn to fall silent._

_"I know that we can't let her loss bring us down. I know that she wouldn't want to see us this way, and that it's a burden we can't carry around forever." Mirajane sighed, "I even told Elfman myself that she will live on in our hearts, that we should carry on with our lives, the way she would want us to…"_

_Natsu's eyes widened as he watched Mirajane bring up a hand to cover her face, with the signs of impending tears starting to show on her features._

_"But it isn't getting any easier!" Her words continued as the sobs began, "No matter how much I try and will myself to shake this guilt, I just can't!" Her words trailed off as she started weeping into both of her palms. "Lisanna…"_

_Natsu had never seen Mirajane like this. He stretched one hand out towards her, helplessly, before withdrawing it again. It was clear that she didn't need the same tough-love speech that he had given to Elfman. The two siblings were handling their grief differently, and in Mira's case, her attempts to move on too quickly were what held her back._

_The dragonslayer maintained a stern, calm expression as surprisingly profound words began to spill from him. "While it's important to avoid letting your grief cripple you… pretending that it never happened is hardly the right path either. You'd do her a disservice if you didn't miss her immensely."_

_His statement only made Mirajane's crying intensify._

_"What I mean is… the fact that it's been so difficult just stands as a testament for how much you both loved her. Moving past this is not going to be easy, because it shouldn't be easy." Natsu frowned, keeping his dark gaze on the gravestone. "None of us really know how to handle what's happened, but all we can do is keep trying to honor her memory as best we can."_

_Mirajane's tears continued to flow. She sniffled loudly and tried to wipe her nose with the back of her hand._

_Natsu looked over at her with another frown, before slowly scooting closer to her on the saturated, muddy ground. Tentatively, he reached across to try and put an arm around her, surprising even himself with the bold gesture. His fingers gently curled around the slender curve of her waist on her far side._

_When she felt his warm arm around the exposed skin of her lower back, Mirajane turned to look at Natsu with puffy, bewildered eyes. Her head filled with all kinds of different intense emotions, and she hesitated, continuing to stare at him in disbelief. _

_"We'll just keep doing the best we can, ok?" Natsu managed to bring up his big, toothy smile in an attempt to reassure her._

_With that comment, something in Mirajane finally broke. She turned her upper body to face him, before lunging to hug him in a tight embrace. _

_The sobs came back in full force._

_Natsu gladly held the formerly scary bully close, with strong, secure arms. "Come on now... I don't think it's as cute when -you-'re the one crying."_

* * *

The Mountains North of Clover Town, Year X791, Present Day

After a worryingly long time spent driving her way through the endless expanse of mud, Mirajane's hands finally grasped Natsu's shoulders. Being as gentle as she could with her taloned fingertips, she looped one arm around his torso so that they could start making their escape.

Relief filled her, he still felt warm, and he was still squirming against the immense forces acting on him.

Meanwhile, Mudbear amused himself by tilting his head back and laughing triumphantly. The deep rumbling sound shook the surrounding area again, and he turned towards the town with a cold look of determination on his barely distinguishable features.

"Looks like it's time to pay a visit to- wait…" Mudbear stopped short, something was moving inside his stomach.

The surface of the colossal mud monster's back started to swirl like a whirlpool, before Mirajane finally emerged, with Natsu dangling securely in tow. She had her arms locked across his chest, acting almost like a life preserver that he could also hang onto.

Natsu coughed and spluttered, and flames spilled out from his mouth in angry bursts, burning away all traces of lingering mud from his lungs.

The violent explosion of their escape made Mudbear howl in pain again, and he quickly turned to see where the two wizards had flown to. However, once he had managed to spin his body around, there was no sight of them.

"Mira… you saved me…" Natsu managed, while the two ascended straight up in the air to avoid Mudbear's line of sight. Natsu looked terrible, like he'd been dragged behind a horse for hours.

"Focus, Natsu," her demonic voice replied. "We need a plan while he's distracted. He's not stupid enough for us to hide up here forever."

"Okay, okay... I did think of something…. while I was in there..." He sternly replied, digging deep to focus and make sure they finished the fight. "How much magic energy do you have left?"

"Not much." Mirajane answered.

"Then I'm going to need you to use up all you have in one more attack." Natsu continued, wiping some wet mud off of his forehead. "Drop me on his head, then let him have it right after I do. Hit him right in his stupid face."

Mirajane shook her head at the idea "But that won't work, none of my attacks have been able to get through-"

"It'll work. Trust me, you'll see." Natsu interrupted.

"Alright, Natsu. I trust you."

"Ok! Drop me!"

Once again, Mirajane did as she was asked, and dropped Natsu. He tucked his arms and legs in, and aimed his hurtling descent straight at Mudbear's head.

Once he started getting close, Natsu opened his mouth and started to bellow with those 'dragon lungs' of his. "HEY SHITBEAR! WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU HEAT CLAY?!"

Mudbear looked up angrily, and saw the puny spec of Natsu falling towards him. Instead of responding, he just snarled and quickly clapped both of his hands around the Dragonslayer to silence him. It was just like the way he had harmed Mirajane earlier.

Mirajane saw this happen, and gasped in surprise. She didn't know if he was alright or not. Should she still proceed with the plan?

After a second's delay, both of Mudbear's hands exploded in a fiery blast, sending dried mud fingers and clouds of dusty dirt in all directions. After shattering those hands, Natsu emerged from the dust clouds with a burning, determined look on his face.

Mudbear roared in pain, and moved the stumps of his forearms to try and bat Natsu away desperately.

Natsu just grinned and used the last of his magic energy to form one more powerful attack. He raised both hands above his head, splaying his fingers wide as a large sphere of fire formed between them, rapidly growing to an immense size.

"FIRE DRAGON… BRILLIANT FLAAAAAAAAME!"

One of Mudbear's stumps finally managed to hit Natsu, knocking him back with immense force.

Natsu was sent flying off into the distance, reeling in pain and blacking out from exhaustion. However, his enemy's smash wasn't quick enough to stop him from getting his attack off in time.

The colossal mud monster's 'eyes' only had time to widen in surprise and fear as the great conflagration descended upon his face. When the impact happened, Natsu's enormous ball of flame created another large fiery explosion. The surface of the mud surrounding Mudbear's face began to immediately dry out and harden, becoming brittle.

As instructed, Mirajane reappeared right in front of Mudbear's face, before he could have a chance to summon more mud and correct Natsu's damage. She pressed her wrists together, and turned her shoulders as dark energy started to build up at the tip of her palms. Mira was worried for Natsu, but figured he was tough enough to survive the fall.

Mudbear just wailed and staggered in pain. The immense being could barely even move his mouth due to the way the mud had become so hard and crusty all around his head.

Mirajane then unleashed her attack, extending her palms towards her target and letting an almighty, wide beam of blackness shoot forth. She used up everything she had left to make sure they capitalized on their foe's vulnerability.

"SOUL… EXTINCTION!"

The blast was a direct hit, and everything above Mudbear's shoulders exploded, sending large scraps of mud and dry dirt in every direction. His small, comparatively weak looking human body became visible as it was expelled from its hiding place, where the brain of the monster would be. Mudbear himself went unconscious, and his unmoving body tumbled down to earth with the rest of the debris.

Mirajane remained still long enough to see the mud monster's titanic body slump and fall forward against the hillside, sending earth tremors for miles around.

She began to waver and feel weak as she hovered in place. With almost all of her magic energy expended, Mira would soon lose her transformation. Quiet, ragged breathing was the only sound she made.

"Natsu…"

* * *

Natsu woke up a few minutes later, blinking his eyes slowly to adjust to the sun that continued to shine on his face.

Everything hurt.

The layer of mud coating his entire body had long since dried, and he felt immensely thirsty, not to mention sore.

He was laying flat on his back, with all four limbs splayed comfortably. Once his eyes opened fully, he realized he was surrounded by trees, and the ground beneath him was surprisingly soft.

What's more, there was something heavy on his chest, and it smelled nice.

Wait a minute…

"Mira?" Natsu's tired voice croaked, and he looked down.

Mirajane had returned to her normal form, and was curled up into a ball beside him, using his chest as a pillow. She still wearing the elegant black dress from before her transformation started, and her skin showed the scuffs and bruises that she had sustained during the fight.

"Shhh… trying to rest here…" She cooed softly.

Natsu then remembered how he was knocked out. His eyes widened in surprise and alarm, "Did you… did w-"

"Yes… he's defeated…" Mirajane stated in a calm, very quiet tone. "And the Rune Knights showed up right after to arrest both of them."

"They must have seen and heard the fight…" Natsu smiled and let his head drop back into place. He continued to grin despite the exhaustion, and stared up at the sky. The sun had started to set, painting the area in its warm, orange glow. "They know it was us, right?"

Mira nuzzled her cheek sleepily against his warm chest, not feeling the least bit of shyness or restraint. "Mmhmm… Captain said we could swing by the garrison to collect the reward whenever we want."

"Party time…" Natsu closed his eyes and chuckled weakly.

"Not yet… can't move... too sleepy." Mira answered with a light smile, keeping her eyes closed too.

For some reason, their position didn't make Natsu feel remotely awkward. Whether Mira was just being forward and affectionate as his friend or displaying evidence of greater desires didn't matter to him. It was comforting, and just felt right for some reason. Mostly, he was just surprised that his mud caked chest looked appealing enough for her to smoosh her pretty face against it.

After another content chuckle, Natsu then lifted one hand to gently drape his arm around Mira, letting his palm rest on her lower back.

The gesture made Mira sigh happily, and she moved a little closer, before resting her own dainty, possessive hand on his chest beside her head. "Shame about your new clothes, Natsu." She added, quietly.

"Oh... yea…." It took Natsu a moment to respond. He was distracted by trying not to think about how her ample chest had just become pressed up against his ribs.

"Just means we'll have to go get you some more with that reward money!" She giggled, "I was thinking we should get you some normal pants and boots too, you know. We can't have a grown man running around in capri pants, and I bet you could get a lot more control and agility if you wore some actual, supportive shoes while you were fighting. Your kicks would probably be a little more effective too…"

Natsu just smiled with content and chuckled along with her words while she trailed off.

After a long, hard fought battle, they had won. He couldn't think of a better way to bask in the glow of victory.

* * *

_**A/N: Thanks for sticking through the action parts! That's the last bit of fighting that we'll see for a while, so congratulations, you made it! There's much more fluff and celebration on the way, so I hope you all stick around for the next chapter!**_

_**Side note: I decided to have Mudbear's human body located inside the monster's skull/brain area, just to be sure that it wasn't -too- similar to Attack on Titan.**_


	10. Party Time

_**A/N: Need more Janderius in your life? There's a link to my tumblr on my fanfiction profile page.  
**_

* * *

Natsu and Mirajane's hillside nap ended a few hours later, and night had long fallen by the time they both woke. Thankfully, there were plenty of rune knights and council officials still examining the 'crime scene' and damage to the mountainside at that time. The two were able to get a lift back to the garrison to pick up their reward. Natsu had to endure his motion sickness for the short ride, but his spirits were quickly lifted as soon as they reached their destination.

Once they had collected their checks and received their praise from the Captain, the two Fairy Tail wizards enjoyed a triumphant walk back to the inn where they were staying.

* * *

"Oh, that is wonderful news! I knew I could count on you two to land us a big win!" The image of the Master's face on the communication lacrima held a proud, excited smile.

"Mmhmm!" Mirajane smiled back merrily. She was sitting on the edge of her bed in their room, balancing the lacrima on her open palm in front of her. "It was a tough fight, but we managed to pull through without getting -too- banged up."

"Marvellous, my dear." Master Makarov looked a little bit sleepy, which was unsurprising considering the relatively late hour. "And how is Natsu?"

"He's fine! Just taking another long bath now, since I'm all finished in there." Mira then leaned forward with an amused smirk and spoke in a hushed whisper behind the back of her hand, like she was sharing a juicy secret. "I had to borrow a hose and spray him off outside before letting him into the building! I don't know if I've ever seen so much mud on a person before, he kinda looked like a monster himself!"

Natsu's muffled voice then called out from inside the bathroom, echoing off all of the tile covered walls. "HEY! I HEARD THAT!" His voice held that amusing level of exaggerated annoyance that just ended up making Mirajane giggle in response.

"That's m'boy." The master chuckled warmly, having overheard their banter. After another moment's pause, he leaned closer to his own lacrima, as if asking a secretive question of his own. "And uhh… what of the damages? What kind of state is Clover Town in?" The old man's obvious nervousness bordered on genuine fear of what the answer might be.

"Oh! Clover Town is just fine, Master, no need to worry!" Mirajane beamed brightly again in response. "All of the fighting took place way outside of town. Mudbear messed up some of the soil, but it's nothing that another earth-maker wizard couldn't easily fix again."

"So you're sure that I'm not going to get any complaints over this?" Master Makarov raised an eyebrow with concerned suspicion.

"Positive! In fact, the authorities were very kind and grateful for our help! We have the full reward checks, and apparently there's even a party being put together as we speak!" Mirajane's voice held plenty of excitement.

"A party? Well that sounds fun!" The last traces of the master's concerns seemed to melt back into the pride that he had exhibited earlier. "I'm sure you two have earned a little recognition. A great deal of justice has been met today thanks to you both."

"We were planning on taking the train home tonight, but we couldn't miss such a kind gesture, you know?" Mira smiled again. "It's actually being hosted by the nice man who owns this inn. He told us that plenty of the victims and loved ones of victims wanted to thank us personally."

"Splendid. Absolutely splendid, child." The master leaned forward to whisper one more time. "Just make sure Natsu keeps a hold of himself and doesn't wreck the place before you leave, understood?"

Mirajane giggled again in response, before snapping a quick salute with her fingertips against her forehead. "You can count on me!"

"Alright, you two have fun, and have a safe trip home in the morning." The Master leaned forward, preparing to shut off his lacrima.

"We will! Goodnight Master!" Mirajane beamed brightly, one more time.

"Good night!" The master finished with an aloof, jolly tone, before shutting off the connection between their respective lacrima.

Mirajane tucked her lacrima crystal away inside her backpack just in time to see Natsu exit the bathroom. He just had his white pants on and was still drying his hair off. Most of the mud was gone, but there was still a noticeable amount of it lingering on his chest and arms.

"HEY!" Mirajane adopted that assertive, motherly tone again. "That is _not_ good enough, mister! You get back in there and don't come out again until you're spotless!"

Natsu's shoulders sagged forward unhappily, "Aw come on, Mira! I got most of it, see?"

"Nope! Use the soap and get it _all_ off."

"But-"

"No butts, Natsu."

"Augh… fine!" Natsu turned back and sulked his way back into the bathroom in defeat. He added a long, drawn out, melodramatic grumble for effect.

* * *

As soon as the communication was severed, Master Makarov sighed and rubbed his face wearily.

Warren, the Fairy Tail telepathy wizard, loomed behind him with a stern expression and his arms folded. "Why didn't you tell them?"

"There's nothing to tell." The master answered gruffly. "It's too soon to jump to any conclusions." He sighed one more time before shuffling wearily out of the room.

Warren just shook his head and remained in place. "I hope you're right…"

* * *

It was amazing to see what the Innkeeper had managed to throw together for the party on such short notice.

The celebration had been set up in the stylish, comfortable walled garden area behind the inn. Tasteful amounts of plant life, water features and clusters of floor cushions decorated the open space. Hundreds of small candles placed in small glass globes were scattered all around the garden space, complementing the night sky with a soft, warm glow. On one side of the room, a huge spread of food spanned multiple tables. There was even a band of musicians in one corner, busily getting out their instruments and preparing to perform. The mild temperature of the early evening was the icing on the cake, making the atmosphere feel incredibly pleasant.

The most noticeable thing about the party, however, was the large crowd of guests. A huge turnout of people filled the garden area. While many of them seemed to be enjoying their own food and conversations, it seemed like most were just waiting for the honored guests to arrive.

Natsu's eyes widened when he peered out of the inn's open back doorway into the garden. "Woah… is this really all for us?"

Mirajane just smiled beside him and reached over to pinch the fabric of his jacket. "What do you think _that_ says?" She pointed up at a banner which had been hung between two wooden beams at the far side of the garden.

He read the words out loud. "Thank you... Fairy Tail wizards…" He paused and just raised his eyebrows in surprised appreciation. "Wow… the last time anyone thanked me like that was on Galuna Island…"

Mirajane then looked Natsu over one more time to make sure that he was presentable enough. The dragonslayer was wearing his standard black and white outfit that he had chosen for their first train ride, complete with that one-sleeved jacket of his. The outfit looked clean enough, but Mira decided to wipe the front of his torso down one more time anyway. "Remember, just be polite and friendly. Everyone will want to talk to us, and this is the least we can do since they went to all this trouble."

"Got it."

"And I know you're hungry, but don't go for the food until most people are done thanking us, alright?" Mira continued.

"Alright…" Natsu's stomach growled, as if on queue.

"Ready?"

Natsu looked over at Mira and nodded. The outfit that she had chosen was also fairly similar to the one she had worn on the train. She had another tasteful and frilly tanktop, but this time it was black with white trim. Instead of jeans and boots, this time she wore a long white skirt which hung low on her hips and flowed all the way down to her ankles. The material was very light, and it had a more casual, summery look to it than most of the dresses she was usually seen in. On her feet was a pair of strappy, stylish flat sandals which went well with the rest of her outfit. As usual, she had a fair amount of fun, modest jewelry to complete the look.

Something about the way she looked seemed very comfortable and appealing to Natsu, in a way that he wouldn't be able to describe. "You look really nice tonight, Mira." The words escaped his mouth before he even had a chance to consider saying them.

Before Mirajane could respond, some of the party guests finally noticed them hiding in the doorway, and a loud cheer ensued. Instead of trying to raise her voice over the sound of the grateful crowd, she just gave him a quick, bashful smile and mouthed the words 'thank you,' to him.

Never a shrinking violet, Natsu took a step closer to his adoring fans and gave them a big smile, raising both of his hands high in the air. Mira took a step closer as well, but just clasped her hands in front of her and bowed gratefully. Both wizards maintained big, warm grins, and the cheer eventually turned into long lasting applause.

* * *

It didn't take too long for Natsu and Mirajane to get through long line of grateful citizens and fans. Both wizards stood in place at the edge of the garden and politely listened to what each person had to say to them. They both remained very gracious and polite, often offering their own words in response. They seemed pretty good at keeping things appropriate and holding new conversations with so many different strangers.

Some of the guests were merchants or from wealthy families, thanking Natsu and Mira for catching the vile thieves that had stolen so much property from them. Some guests were just concerned residents of the town who were very relieved to know that it was going to be safe again, at least for a while. However, the most difficult guests to talk to were those who had lost loved ones due to Deadeye and Mudbear's crimes.

While it wasn't easy to account for the losses of so many, most of the bereaved who had decided to come to the party were simply grateful to know that justice had been served. The mood of the celebration was not dampened too much by the collective grief. Natsu in particular was surprisingly good at connecting with the people in mourning during the brief exchanges he had with them. It was heartwarming to see how well he seemed to adapt to these conversations, and he even sometimes lifted the spirits of those who spoke with him.

Most of the party filtered out pretty quickly, with a lot of the guests leaving as soon as they finished getting their chances to speak with the great heroes of Clover Town. It was understandable, since it was getting pretty close to midnight by the time Natsu and Mirajane finished their numerous greetings. A few of the younger guests stayed behind to dance along to the band's music, and enjoyed the comfortable setting of the garden party a little longer.

The moment Mirajane dismissed him from his post, Natsu immediately bolted for one of the buffet tables, and piled a plate high with all kinds of different foods. His tongue was practically hanging out of his mouth while his ravenous eyes took in the feast in front of him.

"Oh man, this is gonna be _so good_! I'm so hungry I could eat anything, but this stuff looks _amazing_!" Natsu didn't even leave the buffet table before he started shoveling the contents of his heaping plate into his gaping mouth. He stayed put because wanted to be able to restock again without having to move.

Funnily enough, Mirajane was right there with him, scarfing down a handful of fries almost immediately. "Don't look at me like that! I'm just as hungry as you are!" She even spoke with her mouth full too. It was actually kind of adorable to see.

"Not likely!" Natsu answered, even though there was so much food stuffed between his cheeks that his words were barely understandable.

Mira finished piling up her own plate before bumping her hip against Natsu's to get his attention while her hands were full. "Come on, let's go sit down already…"

"Alright fine…" Natsu then glanced around with shifty eyes and reached down to pick up the entire buffet tray full of cookies. He tucked it under one arm while carrying his mountainous plate in his other hand. While moving across the garden his beloved haul, the dragonslayer continued to glance around with suspicious, narrowed eyes, in case anyone had seen him.

The two finally made it to a comfortable pile of floor cushions in one of the corners where they could eat in relative peace. Natsu spoke up after they started stuffing their faces with food again, "Now _this_ is a party."


End file.
